1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a novel photocatalyst for use in articles such as air cleaners, air conditioner filters, wallpapers, curtains and the like which have air cleaning, water cleaning, soil decomposing, antibacterial, sterilizing and other functions. A photocatalyst here is defined as a material capable of breaking down nearby organic compounds, bacteria and other harmful substances by means of ultraviolet or other light rays.
2. Description of the Related Art
The photocatalytic titanium apatite {see, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3,678,606 (claims)} is known to exhibit superior adsorptive properties with respect to various substances (see, for example, Wakamura, Masao et al, Langmuir 2003, Vol. 19, p. 3428-3431).
However, titanium apatite is normally in the form of a powder which tends to aggregate and which adsorbs less per unit volume than active charcoal, diatomaceous earth and the like. Consequently, better adsorptive properties are needed for applications such as air cleaning.